Our 2011 New Year's Resolution Quitting Message

As you read the words on this page, the testimonies of nicotine addicts like yourself who came before you, either with the excitement of having just quit or
the trepidation of someone contemplating a quit, I hope that you will take a moment to pause and consider your options. If you continue to smoke, your
chances are 50/50 that smoking will kill you. In some cases quickly, in others slowly and painfully. Your options are a 50/50 chance of an early death by
your own hand or a life free of tobacco and nicotine. Which will you choose?

You are here seeking help. I know it is so, because all who find themselves here and read, like I once did, stay and read because what they have found is a
promise of relief from the burden of nicotine addiction. If you didn't think it was a good idea to quit, then why do you find yourself reading these
words?

We have the answers to all of your questions. We know the secret to quitting once and for good. We are a free, nicotine recovery support group and
knowledge base. Smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco or using nicotine replacement has already cost you physically, mentally and financially. Freedom from
tobacco will cost you nothing except an investment in yourself. The dividends you will earn when you quit will not just be in the money that you save but
the life you will rediscover as you learn that you don't need tobacco to live, to cope, to celebrate, to mourn or to contemplate.

Come learn the truth about cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and nicotine replacement. Most important of all come learn how good life can be without them. The
day you leave them behind will become a defining moment in your life. Let us help you learn how to Never Take Another Puff, dip or chew.

Wow Joe thank you so much for sharing your story. You choose to live!!!

You have shown us what a strong hold those cigs have on us. But have also shown us that WE are stronger if we choose to be. On to bronze and then silver for
you. You wont believe how much better it gets. I know because I am there!!!!

You have made a decision to stop smoking, you have been searching for answers, you have
probally read other sites, articles anything that will make this easier - well look no further you have come home - if you are committed to take control of
your life acknowledge that you are an addict, then be prepared to absorb the knowledge herewww.whyquit.com,take back your life and become a happier, healthier, and wealthier person.

All you need to do is invest 72 hours to become clean - then it is simply mind over matter
and one day at a time, reading or listening here to reinforce your desire to become an ex smoker. No one can do this for you, this has to
be your quit - I personally have had such an easy quit after 35 years of smoking, thats not to say I am complacent .

Bonus

I can breathe, I don't cough in the morning anymore

I have whiter teeth

My skin has a glow that I havent seen for ages

I don't smell anymore

I love my food, taste and smell has returned

I am richer

Maybe I have just saved my life by adding a few more natural years.

This is to just name a few wonderful things that have happened to me.

So if you are an AUSSIE (or anyone else) what are you waiting
for.

Suzie - Free and Healing for Two Months, Twenty Three Days, 10 Hours and 59 Minutes, while
extending my life expectancy 4 Days and 16 Hours, by avoiding the use of 1351 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $610.21.

It was once suggested to me that I picture recovery from addiction as a bridge. On one side of the bridge there is active addiction. It is cold and dark.
On the other side of the bridge there is recovery. On that side of the bridge it is warm and there is the light of truth. We stood in the cold and dark. We
did not know that the bridge was there. Then, some of us got lucky, we found the bridge. Others waved to us from the other side and said "come join
us". Each of us had to make the walk across the bridge ourselves. We could not be pushed or pulled across. Some started across only to run back to the
what was familiar. Some made it all the way and even then, ran back to the cold and dark. Others stayed in the warmth and the light. They found Freedom From
Tobacco and they never took another puff.

On March 28, 2006 I decided to make the journey across the bridge myself. I packed my bag and started out. In my bag I packed all the knowledge I could
carry that I had found at www.whyquitcom. The knowledge helped me when the going got rough. The people
in the light continued to wave and cheer me on. I have made it across the bridge and found the wonderful dwelling place of Freedom From Tobacco. The people
on this side of the bridge still continue to help me when I feel an urge to run back across the bridge to my old way of living. We all help each other to
remember what it was like before and how gratifying it is to live a life free from our addiction.

After over 30 years of addiction to nicotine I have found the warmth and the light. I never want to go back to the cold, dark, prison of nicotine
addiction. Now, as the New Year approaches, it is my turn to wave and say:

My name is Joe and I am addicted to smoking cigarettes. I have suffered and continue to suffer from the effects of this deadly drug which I freely administered
into my body.

After forty-five years of smoking I have contracted emphysema. I stopped smoking cigarettes cold turkey with great thanks to the free education I received at
this website.
Since my wife quit smoking at the same time as I did we have saved almost $2,500.00; and that is after only four months of living free and clean of nicotine.

I prefer not to dwell on the financial aspect of quitting smoking cigarettes because I genuinely care about the many friends, neighbors, family, associates,
and yes, even strangers who continue to ingest nicotine poison. For me it was cigarettes, but the good folk at Freedom and WhyQuit factually report that the
poisonous effects of nicotine ingestion covers the gamut from chewing, smoking cigarettes and cigars, and/or "snorting" it.

I have so much to say on this topic but do not wish to make it seem that I am any kind of voice of authority with regard to the website or educational material
which is freely provided. I am an authority only about me, how I think, what I do to stay on the clean side of my life and how/what I do to protect my quit
from smoking.
Most importantly, I need to tell you exactly why I stopped smoking. Certainly it was not because my doctor told me to do so; he/they have been telling me that
for years. It was not the social stigma of standing outside the workplace in a doorway to cop a few drags, nor was it the fact that I needed acceptance from my
buddies who also smoked.

I was hospitalized twice with bronchitis which evolved into pneumonia. I was told this happened to me because my health was compromised due to smoking. Do you
think I listened? Do you think I cared? Nope, first day out of the hospital I was right back at it with my brand of choice. That's what addicts do, we
can't or won't fight it, and we lie to ourselves by thinking we can't live without it. Actually, the reverse is the truth; we cannot live a decent
quality of life if we continually poison ourselves with nicotine. I think this addiction actually affects every part of our bodies in one way or another but I
didn't consider any of that, denial was more suited to who I was.
No friends, for me I had to come face to face with my own mortality. My constant bouts with bronchitis eventually evolved to what was termed COPD which is:
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For me, I understood this to be the precursor to emphysema which it was but do you think that stopped me from smoking?
Nope, it just made it more dangerous, exhilarating and stupid. So, forty-five years down the pike ruining my health, I am now sixty-five years old and living
with emphysema; predictable huh?

For many years prior to quitting smoking I had been suffering seizures. At first they were like excessive pins and needles in the head leading to blurred
vision and some extreme coughing. As I progressed with my debilitating mental sickness of nicotine addiction, the seizures became a lot worse. I would fall to
the floor in a semi-blackout but feeling weird sensations covering my entire body. I would shake and quiver and although I could see to a degree, I could not
talk or breathe. Later, I would suffer total blackouts where I saw and felt nothing. Fortunately for me God granted me the ability to return to reality (not
normalcy). Luckily, one of these seizures happened in the hospital while they had the CAT scan focused on my carotid artery. I saw the playback later, the
artery actually contracted from what seemed like a half inch in diameter to what looked like a squished soda pop straw; this artery feeds blood to the brain. I
was given some medications to help me control my problems and allowed to go home after some severe admonitions.

I continued to smoke.

I half heartedly tried acupuncture, the commercial patches and gum, "feel good" medications and even hypnosis; none of it worked to help me stop
smoking. Looking back upon those times, I don't think I wanted to or was ready to quit smoking. I wonder whether or not I was waiting for the undertaker.

Four months ago I sat at this computer smoking while typing the next great American novel. I walked downstairs to get a soft drink. My wife was away for a few
days on business so I was home alone. Halfway down the spiral staircase I started to cough violently. My body stiffened and twisted while the shakes started.
Trying to hold onto the banister I slammed my back against the railing of the staircase and fell down the rest of the steps. I had a blackout seizure and there
was nobody to help. When I "came to," I thought I had broken my back or fractured some ribs, I had really bad pain. With much effort I crawled to the
couch and managed to get into a semi comfortable position. I was telling myself; "this too shall pass." Eventually my breathing stabilized and I knew
that I did not puncture a lung with a broken rib. I managed to stand erect with some effort so I figured that I had not caused any real damage to my skeletal
system. I thought; "perhaps some bruised ribs or muscles, I will tough it out." Once again I was lucky but the pain did not go away. Sleeping was
iffy at best as I had to keep adjusting my body position due to the pain. After a few days of this agony I bit the bullet and went to see my family doctor.

His examination revealed that I had bruised some muscle but the trauma of the fall brought on a case of shingles; more medications different disease, what a
merry-go-round. Wouldn't it be nice to tell you that at this point I had learned my lesson? Nope. In my junkie thinking I rationalized that shingles had
nothing to do with smoking so I could just continue my life willy-nilly without a second thought to cigarettes, nicotine, addictions, or shingles.
A day or so later, my wife had come home and was is in her office fifteen feet from me. I was surfing the web looking for a chicken-hearted way to quit
smoking. Of course, I had a lit cigarette right in front of me. A small cough led to an attempt to take a deep breath but I could not. I was restricted from
breathing and I fell off this swivel chair to the floor floundering around like a fish out of water. Drastic convulsions, shakes, clenching of teeth and
extreme cold to my extremities caused great fear. I thought this is the one; this is the episode which will claim my life or render me mentally diminished.

My wife totally freaked out. There was nothing she could do and she knew it. She had seen these things happen to me before and knew if she called the
paramedics the seizure would be long over by the time they arrived. She just lay on the floor and lovingly held me.
After a while I had some water and slowly returned to where I was; sick but controlled, at least until the next time. I looked at what I was doing on the
computer, the search engine listed www.whyquit.com. I started to read. I smoked for another day or so but reading "Joel's library" made perfect
sense. I firmly resolved at that time and after all those years to stop smoking cigarettes cold turkey and so did my wife.

I had decided that suicide by cigarette was not a good way to die; I have children, grandchildren, a loving wife, and an elderly mother to care for. In short,
I have an awful lot to live for. I owe it to myself, even if at this late date, after so much history behind me, I owe it to me to capture what is left of my
life and live it as healthy and happily as I can. I vow to do this by learning all I can about this addiction, listening to others, and applying the techniques
that are freely dispensed by freedom and whyquit. The most important lessons I have learned are pretty simple but they are paramount if you really wish to quit
smoking.

1- Never Take another Puff (NTAP)
2- One Day at a Time (ODAT).
3- You can only do this by yourself for yourself

And now for the good part: After a week or so of my quit from smoking the seizures started to decrease in intensity; thank God. I have not had one in months.

A few months down the road I started self testing using the portable PFT test device. (PFT = pulmonary function test.) Within four months, I have tripled the
positive values on that test, going from a meager 88 to over 350. Although I am not where I am supposed to be on that test, I continue to improve. This means
that I can breathe deeper, walk longer, have more endurance, and yes, I have even started to jog around the neighborhood. To add in the obvious, food tastes
better, the air smells cleaner and our home is nicotine free.

If you who are reading this message are still smoking, truly I can say to you that I understand your fear of quitting. I do however beg you with all my heart
to consider what you are doing to yourself with each drag you inhale. You are poisoning yourself friend; mentally and physically. I am one of the lucky ones; I
am so far, a survivor but that doesn't mean that you or anyone else can play the game and slip by like I managed to do by the grace of God. Some die quick,
some die slow, agonizingly slow, think about it, isn't it time for you to stop this silliness? At this point in my life, I am absolutely terrified to smoke
a cigarette. I wish I felt that way back in 1961 when I first started to ruin my body so painfully slow.

Thank you for reading this message, my hope for you is the same as it is for me; a message of hope! Yes, you CAN stop smoking.

Joe Doherty - Free and Healing for Four Months, Three Days, 21 Hours and 33 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 17 Days and 11 Hours, by avoiding the
use of 5036 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $1,265.52.

But you do have to be truthful with yourself. You have an addiction. The good news is that you're not alone.

I was a smoker for about 12 years, by the time I quit I was nearing 2 packs per day. I was also a child raised by chain-smoking parents who in those days
didn't try very hard to keep their kids away from secondhand smoke. To say smoking was part of my identity is an understatement.

I always knew one day I would quit, the problem was "How?" On one hand I'd heard cold turkey was the only way to go, on the other I'd
heard that cold turkey was about as fun as a self-inflicted beheading. I also heard that I would be suffering the rest of my life. I was at rock-bottom.

I found WhyQuit by accident, I was preparing to engage another patch-aided quit. (notice I said "another") When I started reading Joel's
articles something happened, it was like a light went on. It just made sense. Remember when you were a kid and something was happening that you
didn't quite understand, you just wanted someone to tell you what was going on? That's Joel. And that's ALL of the members here at Freedom, we
will help guide you through the haze of withdrawal and we will welcome you to the ex-smoker's section through the use of education, support, and logic.
That's it! It really is that simple.

Life here is full of fresh air, sweet smelling aromas and total comfort!

Quitting isn't easy, but educating yourself about nicotine addiction does make it doable. I may be a "newbie" ( a little over 3 weeks quit)
but I plan on making this quit last forever.

I have a history, like most smokers, of trying to quit unsuccessfully. I never knew fully what I was up against. Luckily I found this site, and Joel's
library. I never thought about learning all about the addiction as an aid to quitting, but it really does help. If you tried to fly an airplane with no
instruction in aviation, you probably wouldn't get very far. I never got far with previous quits, because I didn't know much about the addiction. I
thought the cravings would be constant for the rest of my life, but they actually peak after 3 days and are gone after 2 weeks. I thought I could be a part
time smoker, having 2-3 a day, but now realize it's the full addiction or no nicotine at all. The more knowledge you can get about the nicotine
addiction, the better you are prepared to fight the urges and cravings, as well as know what to expect and how to handle it. Read Joel's library all the
way through, and keep the articles handy when you are struggling, it helps to read them. Never take another puff. One day at a time. Congratulate yourself
at the end of the day for not smoking, and face tomorrow with confidence. You can do it, and it does get easier!

Jeff - Phoenix, Arizona USA

Jeff - Free and Healing for Twenty Three Days and 16 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 1 Day and 23 Hours, by avoiding the use of 575 nicotine
delivery devices that would have cost me $115.16.

For to long I listened to other people and advertisments informing me how difficult it was to quit. How wrong they
were!!!!!!!!!!!! Here at whyquit, you will find that the more you read the easier it gets, you educate yourself and understand just exactly what your mind and
body are going through, no gimmicks and no miracle patches prolonging the withdrawal period. I was a smoker of 20 years, 25 death sticks a day and I am not
far off bronze (3months). Both my parents have quit by just reading articles from this site, in fact my dad was a smoker for 50+ years and he has just turned
green (1 month), my mum will be bronze a week after me!!!!!!!!!!!! If you don't feel like reading there is also the video lessons, my Dad likes these, so truly there is a way for everyone to be
educated and you have just found it my friend, so sit back read or watch and enjoy your new found freedom.

Heather.xxxx

Free and Healing for Two Months, Eighteen Days, 8 Hours and 52 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 8 Days and 6 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2381
nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me £563.78.

Don't have a real good answer for that one. I guess it's because I
hadn't been able to succeed in doing so despite several 'assisted' or 'educated' &/or 'Prescribed' episodes over the last
25 years or so. Because I'd never been fully educated about who held the Key to my Freedom. I didn't understand what
it meant to be a nicotine addict nor did I fully comprehend the irrefutable simplicity ofThe Law of Addiction.

I quit smoking loads of times. Sometimes it lasted a day, other times a few days, weeks or even months. In my heart I believed I could never escape my
addiction. I knew I was a fool. I knew it would kill me. I hated myself for smoking, but I was afraid, very afraid that I would never get through a day
without either smoking or being in a foul temper and wishing I could smoke.

As I write this, I can't actually remember when I last thought about smoking. I found Freedom nearly seven months ago. My fear has gone. I'm still
an addict and always will be, but smoking isn't a part of my life any more.

After 16 years of smoking, I have been quit for 6 Months, 4 Weeks, 13 hours and 44 seconds (211 days). I have saved £1,078.86 by not smoking 4,230
cigarettes. I have saved 2 Weeks, 16 hours and 30 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 24/05/2006 21:30

You will find once you reclaim your freedom
from nicotine that you won't want to miss an opportunity to talk about it! I'm 48 years old and smoked for 33 years. I reclaimed my freedom on
1/3/2006. I gained 13 pounds and lost 27 .
I can breath, I can exercise, and I have money in my pocket. Most of all, I have my self respect back. The education, humor, and support you find here will
help you be smart in your quit. I am forever thankful for this website and my favorite posting.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR! If you are reading this message, it probably means that you are sick and tired of smoking, chewing, dipping,
whatever form you are using to get that nicotine into your system. I have been where you are right this minute!! It's scary I know that. I never thought
I could quit, not sure I really wanted to quit, but was not happy being a smoker any more. I didn't know how to quit, because all my past attempts failed.
I thought just maybe I could quit smoking...but with a nicotine product (ie patch, gum etc) what a joke!! I had tried everything but quitting cold turkey,
thought it would be too hard.

I came to Why Quit and Freedom because I was desperate. I needed to know how to quit and stay quit. Well, friends I'm
happy to say that after smoking 40 years, I HAVE quit now for almost 5 months. I did it here, with the education that is provided to us all, freely and at no
cost what so ever. I did it here, with the support and encouragement of other members of this website and I did it by Never Taking Another Puff, just one day
at a time (sometimes, one minute at a time). It is so very, very do-able. When I read Joel's Library in the first 72 hours of my quit, I cried and cried,
for I knew that this was it...finally, I found that I would be able to quit, why I smoked and got myself educated on the Law of Addiction. You can too...what
have you got to lose? Don't plan it, just do it and do it NOW...all the best!!

VICKI - Free and Healing for Four Months,
Nineteen Days, 20 Hours and 30 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 9 Days and 20 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2837 nicotine delivery devices that
would have cost me $642.08. Arizona

I am Kim's sister and if you haven't read Kim's story, read it now and you will notice that the above line is the opening sentence of her story.
Reading her story says it all. http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_kim.html

Believe me when I say that quitting smoking really is a matter of life or death.